About the Book
Cyberattack—an ominous word that strikes fear in the hearts of nearly everyone, especially business owners, CEOs, and executives. With cyberattacks resulting in often devastating results, it’s no wonder executives hire the best and brightest of the IT world for protection. But are you doing enough? Do you understand your risks? What if the brightest aren’t always the best choice for your company?
In The Smartest Person in the Room, Christian Espinosa shows you how to leverage your company’s smartest minds to your benefit and theirs. Learn from Christian’s own journey from cybersecurity engineer to company CEO. He describes why a high IQ is a lost superpower when effective communication, true intelligence, and self-confidence are not embraced. With his seven-step methodology and stories from the field, Christian helps you develop your team’s technical minds so they become better humans and strong leaders who excel in every role. This book provides you with an enlightening perspective of how to turn your biggest unknown weakness into your strongest defence.
About the Author
Christian Espinosa is a Managing Director at Cerberus Sentinel, the Founder and former CEO of Alpine Security, a cybersecurity engineer, certified high-performance coach, professor, and lover of heavy metal music and spicy food. He’s also an Air Force veteran and Ironman triathlete. He used to value being the “smartest guy in the room,” only to realize that his greatest contribution to the fight against cybercrime is his ability to bring awareness to the issue through effective communication. Christian is a speaker, coach, and trainer in the Secure Methodology, helping to make the smartest people in the room the best leaders in the field.
Qn 1: Can you tell us more about your book What is it about?
My book is about why we are losing the cybersecurity war – it is not a technology or process problem, it is a people problem. The intellectual bullying and posturing that occur in the cybersecurity industry are why we are losing the war. My book is really a personal development book, wrapped in the context of cybersecurity (the focus of my nearly 30-year career). I cover a 7 step Secure Methodology, designed to make us better humans. The Secure Methodology is designed to help us minimize our ego, become better communicators, and live a more fulfilling life. I wrote the book, The Smartest Person in the Room, based on my experience with the cybersecurity company, Alpine Security, that I founded, ran, and sold.
Qn 2: Who do you think would be interested in this book, is it directed at any particular market?
There are three main audiences for the book: technical leaders, company executives, and anyone interested in understanding why we are losing in cybersecurity.
Qn 3: Out of all the books in the world, and all the authors, which are your favourite and why?
The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz is one of my favourite books of all time. It is a great reminder of 4 simple things to do on a daily basis that will shift your life in a positive direction.
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is of my favourite books as well. This is probably my most favourite, as its message is timeless and it gets you to think differently about many limiting beliefs. It is also not just about money, as many people think. Richness can come in how fulfilled you are in life too.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Sucess by Carol Dweck. This book changed my life and made me realize that I can embrace a growth mindset. That I need to take the red pill, not the blue pill.
Qn 4: What guidance would you offer to someone new, or trying to enhance their writing?
As my book is nonfiction, it was critical for me to determine my target audience and what I hoped they would get out of the book. Knowing your target audience is the most important aspect, so you can write in a way that resonates with them and enters the conversations already occurring in their head. The other guidance I have is to get feedback early. What you think is clear or needs to be included, may be unclear or extraneous, based on the feedback of someone that is similar to your target audience. One final tip is to establish a north star for your book and stick with it. A north star is a real message and theme you want to convey.
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